I grew up in a small town in Iowa in a religious Lutheran family. Everywhere I went from my Iowa roots, I was admired for my “midwestern values.” But I did not know my own value. I was externally motivated to be good and I made every mistake along the way. Despite my flaws and foibles, I finally achieved my version of the “dream life” according to worldly standards and to my surprise the “illusion” crashed and burned. Everything that seemed so promising evaporated like a mist in the sun; the “fairy tale” was not real…
Another person cannot save you. Religion cannot save you. Government cannot save you. Globalism cannot save you. Universalism cannot save you. New Age teachings cannot save you. Elemental spirits of the universe cannot save you. All the myriad of gods, goddesses, lords, rulers, masters, idols, etc. cannot save you…
Nothing apart from Christ Jesus can save you. He is the Christ appointed for ALL by the “Creator of heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water” (Revelation 14:7). It has nothing to do with religion or being a good person or doing good works or being externally motivated…
It has everything to do with knowing your True Value, not because of what you did or did not do, but EVERYTHING to do with what Jesus already did FOR ALL. It is knowing the length, breadth, depth and height of our Father’s Love for us that he sent the Christ to get his children back; to return human beings to the image and likeness of God instead of looking like the father of lies. God values his children and until we know our true value we will reflect the values of the world instead of the values of our Father and his Christ. Jesus took ALL the sins of the world and gave us ALL his righteousness, and all we have to do is come to Him and receive it ALL! “Every good endowment and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights” His Christ in us is His perfect Light with no darkness at all; the world is a mixture of light and dark, good and evil; but God so LOVED the world that he sent the Christ to bring us from the world into His Kingdom of heaven on earth. “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke (easy and light) and learn from me and I will give you rest for your soul”
I can’t even imagine the pain and suffering Jesus experienced on the cross, because my personal messes caused such deep distress that I despaired of life and He took every sin that ever was or would come into His body so it would be cursed and die forever for all. His sacrifice was ONCE FOR ALL. We die to self with Christ, we deny the old person we were before we woke up to receive Christ’s Light. We are born of God ANEW FROM ABOVE by the Holy Spirit and fire to resurrect with Christ into a new creature, the new creation; the old is gone, the sins never remembered again by God (if your past comes to mind it is not coming from God).
Christ Jesus was lifted up and he draws all humans with Him to be seated in “heavenly places” consciousness/dimension where he is with his Father, to share His mind, to let Christ rule and reign IN US. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” We YIELD and are MOVED, transferred, translated from the dominion of darkness to the KINGDOM of the beloved Son, a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells! The kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! It is the seed of Christ in us that grows into the tree of life, flowing with the River of Spirit and fire!
The gospel of Jesus is the POWER of God to transform us; to no longer be conformed to the world, but be reformed by the Potter to be like Christ; earthen vessels containing the TREASURE of God, his Delight, his Pearl of great price, his riches of glory, all for the glory of our Father! We are UNVEILED by Christ to behold His glory and we are transformed into his likeness from glory to glory! The light of dawn breaks in us, Christ’s morning star rises in our hearts! His Light dissolves the darkness within; his righteousness rises in us with healing in its wings! His holy fire forms a wall around us! We put on the armor of Light; we PUT ON Christ Jesus as Lord of lords and King of kings to rule and reign IN and THROUGH US!
It is no longer my will, but Thy Will be done. It is no longer my way or the highway that leads to destruction; it is Christ’s perfect Way, Christ’s perfect Truth, Christ’s perfect Life in us that FREES US! The way, truth and life of Jesus is the only way to our Father, our First Love, to receive the pure LOVE of our Father that he pours into our heart by the Holy Spirit to finally satisfy and fulfill us in Christ! NOTHING else satisfy permanently and eternally but Christ Jesus! I tried pretty much every world religion, spirituality, and their practices, but I was not FREE until I laid them ALL down and wholeheartedly said YES to Jesus! It is in intimate relationship with Christ in God that we are made whole, complete, perfect and lacking nothing! We go THROUGH the fires, trials, floods, tests, learning and strange occurrences WITH Christ and the result is AMAZING AWE, WONDER, GRACE and GLORY!
“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (meditation on the Word is life changing: the Word is life and Spirit! speaking the Word is powerful, the Sword of the Spirit in your mouth! becoming the Word is a new heaven and a new earth: PURE GRACE)
The only way to be filled with ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD is to know, BEYOND KNOWLEDGE, the Love of Christ…
and you will know your value in God’s eyes and begin to live up to what He sees in you!
“You are precious and honored and I love you” Isaiah 43:4
New Heaven on Earth! 
“I am with you, even to the end of the age” “I will never leave nor forsake you” “Do not fear, neither let your heart be troubled! In the world you will have tribulation, BUT IN ME YOU WILL HAVE PEACE” despite and in the midst of external circumstances or situations!
Find his kingdom and his righteousness in you and stop looking externally for satisfaction and fulfillment! Christ’s Spirit and Fire transforms the INSIDE so the outside can start to reflect the Light of God!
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There’s 3 things I miss about living in ‘Cornville’ – the sound of thunder and lightning bugs.
Our experiences are similar, albeit opposite in direction. Suburban Seattle was home for me, raised religious and moral, then came destruction of all I held dear. The Lord met me in the midst of the destruction, and baptised me with the Holy Spirit. Then He directed my wife (a small town IL girl) and I to move, sight unseen, to a small town in rural central IL. He directed us to an Evangelical Covenant church there, which happened to be the same brand I attended in the ‘burbs. “Tell them about the Holy Spirit” He said. I did. They assailed me and my wife – overtly – covertly – passively – aggressively – in the church – on the street – at the post office – at the school where my wife worked. “NO Holy Spirit stuff” they said. That’s quite an eye opening; to gift someone His breath of life – His Spirit – then send them to the grave that is the small town religious mid-west. My what that whole experience birthed in me – in us! Prophesying – prophe-ranting – prolific writing – articles – songs. Most important: FREEDOM!
The other thing I miss about ‘Cornville’ is the abundance of sweet corn! At least I can get that at Costco! 😉
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You said, “The Lord met me in the midst of the destruction, and baptised me with the Holy Spirit.” He is SOOO GOOD! He is so powerful to change everything when we are “ripe!” In a twinkling everything changes!
I love what God birthed in you!
Truth, Life and Freedom! such amazing gifts! I love to see the Unseen revealed, manifested and expressed in so many amazing, surprising ways! The more I notice, the more he shows!
I miss the sweet corn right off the stalk from the garden. New peas and potatoes in a white sauce was indescribable! Anything out of the garden in that nutrient rich soil tasted completely different than grocery store produce and fruit. I’ll have to try Costco sweet corn sometime!
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While it was difficult living there because it was a cross of sorts for us, we still loved it for the lessons of it all.
I took up gardening in an unlikely way while there. We moved to a nice house with an extra adjoined lot. The neighbors had been using it for dumping and burning yard cuttings, rocks, unused concrete. I decided to clean it up and rather than post “no trespassing” or private property signs, the Spirit prompted me to till the soil and plant a vegetable garden. There are SO many spiritual lessons in turning a dump into a fruitful garden.
That first year gardening I planted sweet corn – Jubilee and a speckled variety. My wife, who is from Hoopeston, IL (self-proclaimed “sweet corn capital of the world”), knows her corn and told me when it was time to pick the first fruits.
Like I said, that first year was really hard on me for missing my family and children. So I was still crushed in Spirit, so-to-speak even while bringing in the harvest of my new garden. So that supper where we ate the first fruits, that Jubilee sweet corn, my wife and I both were overwhelmed by the Spirit. It was out of this world delicious! We both began weeping and stared at each other, asking “what’s going on – what’s this all about”. The message the Spirit downloaded to us there was simply that of love – of promise – that from that point on, we’d enjoy His blessing – His presence.
It doesn’t always feel good of course, this learning in the school of the Holy Spirit – but the end result is always greater freedom, more complete joy, etc.
And I think there was a mini-message for me even in that it was “Jubilee” sweet corn. It’s been 16 years and we STILL talk about that sweet corn – so indelible is the experience with the Holy Spirit there.
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Thank you for sharing! great testimony!!! “the message of LOVE! promise fulfilled! Spirit download of God’s Presence!” “So indelible is the experience with the Holy Spirit there” “The end result is ALWAYS greater FREEDOM, more complete Joy, etc.” Awe! Wonder! Grace! Glory!
The “spirit of the world” of the world system is trying to take our God-given sovereign freedom, life, liberty and “unalienable rights” “one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all” “we the people” “America the Beautiful” “In God we trust”. The “Spirit of Truth,” the Spirit of the Kingdom of the Beloved Son on earth, on the other hand, is waiting for all to TURN to God, repent and receive the Lord Jesus the Christ’s Spirit to be the new temples of God with the Holy Spirit indwelling us to reign and rule WITH Christ Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords! To come and take the water of life without price (Jesus already paid the price, ransomed us, sacrificed once for ALL) and transfer from the dominion of darkness (world system under the spirit of the world) to the new heaven and new earth: righteousness, Spirit of Truth, Spirit of Life, HOLY Spirit! The New Heaven is Christ brought to earth, to manifests the new earth in us and through us, and then we rule and reign on earth while seated WITH CHRIST in heavenly places! Hallelujah Chorus! “And He shall reign forever and ever…King of kings and Lord of lords!!!!!!!”
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Thank GOD, I am saved to the uttermost and am transforming into the image of HIM!!
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Yes! We are His hands and feet! 🙂 We keep beholding His glory and we are TRANSFORMED into His image and likeness from one degree of glory to another!!!!!!!
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